White now has a silver lining

Sticking to your guns – and your budget – is key to making a new car purchase you can live with

Joe Raedle, Getty Images

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Sheelagh Caygill, Driving | January 25, 2014

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Silver has finally been toppled as the most popular car colour, replaced by white as the No. 1 choice across North America, Europe and Asia. Variations on silver, from light metallic grey, light silver to dark silver have been the top choices for about a decade. But late last year, silver fell to third place, with black at No. 2. Only in South America does silver remain the No. 1 choice.

Darpan Chhabra, sales manager at Southtown Kia, Edmonton, said people are drawn to white partly because the evolution of vehicle designs. “A lot of new cars and SUVs have large sunroofs that are tinted black and some SUVs have two sunroofs,” he explained. “So the contrast between bright white paintwork and black roofs is very appealing.”

PPG Industries, one of the world’s largest suppliers of automotive paints, speculates that our love of high-tech and gadgets is another factor influencing our choice of vehicle colour. Sony, Apple and other smartphone manufacturers are offering more products in white. PPG says there has never been a greater choice when it comes to white, with the automotive industry offering light creams, off-whites, creamy pearls and other shades of white.

But while white may be the new hot – or cool – colour for most carmakers, at Volkswagen it’s been the top choice for years. Dave Jacobs, sales manager at Southgate Volkswagen, Edmonton, said white has been the most popular colour choice for VW buyers for at least five years. “White looks smart and has good resale value, and that’s why our customers are drawn to it.”

He said VW offers conservative choices in colour, with white, black, blue and red being the staples. Again, this reflects the fact that that those colour choices give a vehicle a longer shelf life and enhance resale value.

But if white doesn’t appeal, browns and variations on that colour are making a comeback, too, partly because advances in paint technology have led to the creation of some vibrant shades of brown and earthy tones that have to be seen to be believed. Kelly O’Connell, managing partner at Heartland Ford, Fort Saskatchewan, said Ford’s new Kodiak brown, available on some vehicles, is one of the most popular choices this year. “People love the new brown. As well, this year we are seeing some really vivid shades, such as orange, yellow and bright green being sought after by customers.”

But, O’Connell explained the choice of vehicle colour is still a personal thing, regardless of trends, because it reflects personalities. “A colour or tone may be fashionable, but if an individual wants something else, they’ll go for it. And there is no real pattern across gender or age,” he said. “At the moment, buyers are also keen on earth tones such as copper. But there is no doubt that the white shades, including Ford’s platinum white, are at the top of the list when it comes to selection.”

With truck colours, Mark Hicks, President of Sherwood Ford, says Albertans are split 50-50 between black and white. “It’s partly because a lot of trucks are bought by companies who want to apply their own branding, so they will choose white,” he said. “But black trucks with either black wheels or shiny silver wheels are favoured too. Next, reds and blues are up there.”

Darcy Polny, an artist and illustrator with Groundwater Communications just outside Edmonton, said that today’s globally-connected, consumer-focused world is affecting our perceptions of colour. Today, we can associate colours with top brands like Microsoft, Coca-Cola, Honda, or eBay.

However, the deeper meanings of colour still come into play, despite trends. This is because the meaning of colour is connected to our past, although it can change over time. “White may be in vogue because of the association with technology, but there’s a whole other level of meaning — it is associated with goodness, cleanliness and innocence,” explained Polny.

“Red usually represents power, while yellow is cheerful and happy. Orange combines the power of red with the cheerfulness of yellow. It represents enthusiasm, creativity and success. Blue is calm, although the vibrant, electric shades of blue can also have a high-tech association to them. Black represents elegance and formality,” said Polny.